If wonder tales are not abundant in England, other kinds of folktales thrive: local traditions, historical legends, humorous anecdotes. Many of the favorite tales which English-speaking peoples carry with them from childhood come from a long tradition stories as familiar to Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, Spenser, and their many contemporaries as they are to us.
"This is a fine, homely feast, immediately intelligble. . . ." Times Educational Supplement
." . . should be of special concern to Americans since many of the tales are parallel to or the source of our own folk stories."...

First published in 2002. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.